LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 18: Cory Schneider #35 of the Vancouver Canucks stops Dustin Brown #23 of the Los Angeles Kings on a penalty shot during the third period at Staples Center on April 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Come on now, you knew this would have to happen at some point in the playoffs. Enough has been written about the Canucks goaltending debate to publish a small book. Well, the debate stopped yesterday when Coach Vigneault stated, “I am going to play the goaltender that I think is going to give us the best chance to win.”

With that the likely goaltender of the future was anointed with Cory Schneider’s start in a deciding game four. All Schneider did was stop 43 out of 44 shots, a penalty shot by Dustin Brown when the game was still up for grabs, and a multitude of LA chances that could have changed the outcome on any number of those.

It wasn’t about the number of saves Schneider made, but the timing of them, like the barrage at the end of the first period to keep LA from going up by two. How about the Dustin Brown penalty shot which could have tied the game and instead the Canucks scored their second power play shortly after that.

The hockey gods were smiling down on the Canucks in this game and it’s about time. Some nights you have to have a bit of help from your goalposts and Schneider received that last night. The Canucks also got a fortuitous bounce when Kevin Bieksa’s shot deflected off of Mike Richards, but sometimes it’s true, that when a team works hard they eventually get the bounces and a break or two.

Getting back to Schneider and Luongo, who stays and who goes? There’s no use closing the barn door after the horses have escaped and with the Schneider decision, it looks like the 26 year old is the Canucks goaltender of the future. It’s not as if Cory hasn’t paid his dues because when you think that he was drafted in 2004, and has been in the organization going on five years, he has been in waiting for several years. It’s his time to be a starting goaltender and if not with the Canucks, it will be with some other team.

At the end of this season he will be a restricted free agent, which means Schneider can take the team to arbitration if he doesn’t like their offer or that any team could present him with an Offer Sheet and the Canucks would have to match or risk losing him. Schneider will be a hot commodity and the Canucks need to resign him to a three or four year term at a reasonable amount. That price will not be at the same cap hit as Luongo’s, but it sure will be a lot higher than the $900,000 he presently earns.

As far as Luongo goes, he will not be happy playing backup to Schneider or playing half the games. There are a number of teams that require a goaltender of his stature, so if Luongo sees the writing on the wall, he may go to Gillis and give him a list like Rick Nash did in Columbus. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tampa on that list as his wife is from the Florida area.

Now the Canucks may not get much back for Luongo, player wise, and the exercise may turn out to be in nothing more than a salary dump, but that at least would free up some cap space.

The Canucks in this playoff have a huge mountain to climb and if they don’t make it back, then next season they will have to add the parts that are still missing, and shedding Luongo’s salary will be key in moving forward.

Either way, I believe we have just seen the changing of the guard in goal.

Ice Bits – That was the best clutch road game that the Sedins have played in the past five seasons. Daniel had 11 shots directed towards the goal, had an assist, one hit and was a plus one. Henrik had the clinching goal which happened to be a power play one at that, three shots-on-goal and finished with a plus one. In between that, the Twins used Dustin Brown as an insert for their sandwich hit. What goes around, comes around.

If Ryan Kesler ever surfaces in this playoff the Canucks may have a chance to push this series to a deciding seventh game.

Alex Edler came back from the dead last night with four hits, the Canucks first power play goal of this series, and even though he was on for the only LA goal, played like he was alive.

Coach Vee still has some decisions to make about Sunday’s game because the fourth line was badly outplayed. Zack Kassian is truly ineffective, with his 3:54 of ice time still being too much, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Byron Bitz back in.

After Mason Raymond waved at Kings Anze Kopitar who skated by him to score the opening goal, it would make sense to insert someone who plays more than a perimeter game and doesn’t get taken off the puck so easy. Did you notice that he sat glued to the bench for the last two periods except for a brief cameo spot in the third?

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